These findings are from ABI research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies. This shows that investors are confident with the technologies developed by Chinese startups, their business strategies, and market potential. The overall investment values for AI startups increased year on year by a staggering 150% globally in 2017, growing from US$4 billion in 2016 to US$10.7 billion in 2017. Contrary to their U.S. counterparts who raised US$4.4 billion of investment from 155 investments, Chinese startups raised US$4.9 billion from merely 19 investments, indicating a sharp focus by the investors on mature AI applications with strong commercial viability and successful use cases. In addition, the influence of the Chinese government plays a key role in attracting investment in AI startups. “The bullish sentiment shared among Chinese investors is a clear sign that China is going all-in in artificial intelligence (AI). The government of China is setting clear policy guidelines for the future development of AI and startups are responding with cutting edge AI technologies across many industries,” said Lian Jye Su, a Principal Analyst at ABI Research. In contrast, Europe seems to have long-term strategic objectives as far as AI investments are concerned. Startups in the region have diversified interests across different industries and verticals, mainly for use cases such as cybersecurity, digital ID, public safety, healthcare, and IoT. The United States, on the other hand, takes a more balanced approach between short-term investments that could translate into immediate commercial opportunities and long-term… [Read full story]